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Sometime this week, the Office of Personnel Management is expected to release an official estimate of government workers whose personal information was exposed by the massive federal data breach revealed in June. No matter the final tally, the threat from cyber hackers has never been more evident, nor has the need for smart policies to thwart them ever been more important.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is stepping up to the challenge.

As part of its ongoing effort to promote a more secure digital future for U.S. businesses, the Chamber has formed a new Cybersecurity Leadership Council. The group is comprised of business leaders from an array of sectors who will strive to influence and advance global cybersecurity policies that promote best practices and market-based solutions.

“Although recent headlines have focused national attention on cybersecurity, the Chamber has long been active in calling for information-sharing legislation and updated cybersecurity policy,” said Ann Beauchesne, the Chamber’s senior vice president for National Security and Emergency Preparedness. “This new group will help us foster greater collaboration between government and the private sector in order to improve our nation’s cybersecurity policy.”

Chaired by former Bush and Obama cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt (a founding partner of Ridge Schmidt Cyber), the new council will formalize the Chamber's Cybersecurity Working Group by establishing a smaller leadership team to help streamline key decisions and hone its policy message.

“We need to focus on mitigation of cyber risks through cross-sector information sharing efforts, public and private partnerships, and the improvement of cyber hygiene of businesses of all sizes,” Schmidt said.

Members of the leadership council include the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Gas Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, The Boeing Company, The Dow Chemical Company, J.P. Morgan Chase, and the US Telecom Association, among others.

Their collaboration comes as U.S. businesses and the American public face mounting threats from cyber criminals both foreign and domestic, heightening the need for legislation that allows companies to share information across industries and with the federal government. Click here to read more about the accelerated push for cybersecurity information-sharing legislation in the wake of the OPM attack.

From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.

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